Rhyno
08-16-2014, 08:48 AM
I was lucky enough pull a goat draw this year, despite having lived in Terrace where odds approach 1:1 this is the first I have received one in 4 years. I am not complaining though as I have managed to hunt them every year through GOS and have been lucky with getting some more difficult draws…. Yeah bison this year!
Since there is only so much you can learn from Google earth I planned a scouting trip in Aug. Rackmastr and I have a hunt planned for Oct, but on account of the fact he is a lucky SOB and has multiple trips of a lifetime planned this season I was going to be heading out solo. I managed to convince my summer student who is very outdoorsy and has a keen interested in hunting to come on the trip with me.
We headed out and arrived at our destination in the mid to late afternoon and stared at an impenetrable wall of alders leading to our access point. Pack on we dove in and emerged 1.5 hours later, bears spays were lost and found, but with the addition of a good amount of swearing we made it to the creek flowing out of the hills.
We followed it straight up for about 3 hours but with darkness setting in we started searching for a camping spot, flat locations were near impossible to find, but we managed to find 2 dog bed sized flat patches in some trees.
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/ae51/seibelr/hikein_zpscf759f79.jpg
We managed to wedge our tents into the small area and sat down for a much deserved meal.
On a side note, I have yet to invest in a proper mountain tent. I do have a good tent but it weighs in at a back breaking 10lb. For this trip I brought along my kiddies sun shelter from MEC. Its kinda ½ a tent with no floor, on the plus side it weighs 3lb and has a bug mesh.
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/ae51/seibelr/tent_zpsc88c5c24.jpg
Ok, back to the story. We were both pretty exhausted from the climb, but the peak was in sight and settled into our shelters. I kept hearing air escape from Nick’s thermorest…so I asked.. “What are you doing, adjusting the firmness of your sleeping pad?” He replies….ah crap I thought you were. Turns out a pokey rock sliced through his brand next tent and sliced his sleeping pad. An uncomfortable night was saved by the patch kit.
I eventually dosed off and drifted in and out of sleep all night. I awoke with a start to the sound of something chewing about 6” from my noggin. I jumped up in my bag and hit the tent….chewing continues, I said get outta here in a firm voice but I only succeeded in waking Nick up. He asked what was going on, when I told him he said “oh ya that thing has been here all night”
Ok I am going to come clean here, I have a crippling, deep seated primal fear of rodents. Mice and rats top the list. Make fun if you wish, but I don’t let it stop me for enjoying my passion for hunting. Being in a floorless tent where the creature could come and go as it pleased did not sit well with me. I fled my shelter, upon discovering it was 5am I was reading to fire up the stove to make some coffee and stand guard until daylight. Head lamp on I looked towards my pack only to find the beam of light filled with a kitten sized rodent who had taken ownership of my hat. I few rock thrown his way failed to scare away the determined pack rat. Eventually it move over to set up a defensive position near our clean soup pot from the evening before. By now reinforcements had arrived as Nick continued the rock assault, eventually the pot was hit and the hideous beast fled from the scene. Upon assessing the damage it was determined that my hat was nearly consumed, a pack chewed as well as tent poles. All food was hung in a tree safely away from camp.
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/ae51/seibelr/DSCF0311_zps158841cf.jpg
As soon as it was light we made our accent and continued to the peak. We enjoyed the panorama view for a few hours, checked out the back side and did some glassing. No goats were seen, but hair, scat and tracks prove that they use the area. I promised the kiddos a camping trip for the weekend so we started our decent. About 2/3 of the way down a thunder storm rolled in soaking us, the vegetation and rocks. It made for a slippery trip back with many falls, cuts and scratches. The alders were particularly fun being soaked from the rain. We survived the ordeal, all in all a pretty typical trip into goat country. Can’t wait to head back in Oct and find a few billies!
From a learning perspective I will be purchasing a tent with a floor in the near future and be sure to bring as extra water bladder and we were a little parched by the time we reached the top as the stream had disappeared about ¾ way up. I don’t know what it is about goat hunting, but once its in your blood it becomes an obsession.
Since there is only so much you can learn from Google earth I planned a scouting trip in Aug. Rackmastr and I have a hunt planned for Oct, but on account of the fact he is a lucky SOB and has multiple trips of a lifetime planned this season I was going to be heading out solo. I managed to convince my summer student who is very outdoorsy and has a keen interested in hunting to come on the trip with me.
We headed out and arrived at our destination in the mid to late afternoon and stared at an impenetrable wall of alders leading to our access point. Pack on we dove in and emerged 1.5 hours later, bears spays were lost and found, but with the addition of a good amount of swearing we made it to the creek flowing out of the hills.
We followed it straight up for about 3 hours but with darkness setting in we started searching for a camping spot, flat locations were near impossible to find, but we managed to find 2 dog bed sized flat patches in some trees.
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/ae51/seibelr/hikein_zpscf759f79.jpg
We managed to wedge our tents into the small area and sat down for a much deserved meal.
On a side note, I have yet to invest in a proper mountain tent. I do have a good tent but it weighs in at a back breaking 10lb. For this trip I brought along my kiddies sun shelter from MEC. Its kinda ½ a tent with no floor, on the plus side it weighs 3lb and has a bug mesh.
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/ae51/seibelr/tent_zpsc88c5c24.jpg
Ok, back to the story. We were both pretty exhausted from the climb, but the peak was in sight and settled into our shelters. I kept hearing air escape from Nick’s thermorest…so I asked.. “What are you doing, adjusting the firmness of your sleeping pad?” He replies….ah crap I thought you were. Turns out a pokey rock sliced through his brand next tent and sliced his sleeping pad. An uncomfortable night was saved by the patch kit.
I eventually dosed off and drifted in and out of sleep all night. I awoke with a start to the sound of something chewing about 6” from my noggin. I jumped up in my bag and hit the tent….chewing continues, I said get outta here in a firm voice but I only succeeded in waking Nick up. He asked what was going on, when I told him he said “oh ya that thing has been here all night”
Ok I am going to come clean here, I have a crippling, deep seated primal fear of rodents. Mice and rats top the list. Make fun if you wish, but I don’t let it stop me for enjoying my passion for hunting. Being in a floorless tent where the creature could come and go as it pleased did not sit well with me. I fled my shelter, upon discovering it was 5am I was reading to fire up the stove to make some coffee and stand guard until daylight. Head lamp on I looked towards my pack only to find the beam of light filled with a kitten sized rodent who had taken ownership of my hat. I few rock thrown his way failed to scare away the determined pack rat. Eventually it move over to set up a defensive position near our clean soup pot from the evening before. By now reinforcements had arrived as Nick continued the rock assault, eventually the pot was hit and the hideous beast fled from the scene. Upon assessing the damage it was determined that my hat was nearly consumed, a pack chewed as well as tent poles. All food was hung in a tree safely away from camp.
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/ae51/seibelr/DSCF0311_zps158841cf.jpg
As soon as it was light we made our accent and continued to the peak. We enjoyed the panorama view for a few hours, checked out the back side and did some glassing. No goats were seen, but hair, scat and tracks prove that they use the area. I promised the kiddos a camping trip for the weekend so we started our decent. About 2/3 of the way down a thunder storm rolled in soaking us, the vegetation and rocks. It made for a slippery trip back with many falls, cuts and scratches. The alders were particularly fun being soaked from the rain. We survived the ordeal, all in all a pretty typical trip into goat country. Can’t wait to head back in Oct and find a few billies!
From a learning perspective I will be purchasing a tent with a floor in the near future and be sure to bring as extra water bladder and we were a little parched by the time we reached the top as the stream had disappeared about ¾ way up. I don’t know what it is about goat hunting, but once its in your blood it becomes an obsession.